You Shouldn't Kiss Me
by Mosie1213
Summary: Lucas and Brooke decided to be friends.Though he love her, Lucas agreed to a friendship and decided he would prove to Brooke how much he loved her by being her friend. At awedding,they share a uld one dance change things forthem?He hoped it would.


_**Hello! So this is my first fanfiction since I finished my last fanfic Can't Ever Forget about two years ago. I was busy finishing school and I've been blocked for a long time trying to think of something to write. I always loved writing these fanfics, and I've missed it. I found a notebook that had a few ideas that I'd written down a few years ago, but didn't have time to develop. Thankfully, one of those ideas has inspired me and hopefully brought me back. I hope you enjoy this. I hope that if you read, you will take a minute to review. I really appreciate them and they really do inspire me! Thanks!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own only rights to this plot. I do not own the characters or dialogue from One Tree Hill. Those rights belong to the writers and creators of the show. **_

**You Shouldn't Kiss Me**

_**Brucas Oneshot**_

_She was finally home._

That had been my first thought when I saw Brooke Davis at the airport. I'd been anticipating her coming home pretty much since the day she had left Tree Hill, but I hadn't been expecting her arrival that day. I had been waiting at the airport for my mother—she was returning home after spending the summer in New Zealand. While waiting for her, I had been pleasantly surprised to look up and see Brooke walking toward me.

Brooke had been happy to see me as well. At least, I'd thought she'd been happy to see me, given the smile she'd worn as she'd approached me. The smile hadn't stayed long, though. When Brooke had realized that I hadn't come to the airport for her –(I would have if I'd known she was flying in that day—she sort of stormed off before I had even had a chance to tell her welcome home.

And so, there I was, sitting in my car outside my home shortly after that encounter, trying to prepare myself to go inside. Brooke was inside, in my room—previously her room—packing up the rest of the things she'd left from the few months she'd spent there at the end of the school year.

I sat in my car for at least ten minutes after I had pulled up, trying to shake off my nerves I guess. I'd never been so nervous to talk to Brooke before—well, except for maybe the last time we had both been in that room. But I had to know where things stood between us. After the way our last conversation went, I had to know whether Brooke's heart was in the same place as I'd told her mine was three months prior...

_The taxi was sitting out front of the house when I'd returned home. I'd been down at the River court, alone with my thoughts and then engaging in an unpleasant conversation with my brother. After that, I'd left, and when I'd seen that the cab had already arrived, I'd been glad that I'd left when I had. Otherwise, I might not have made it in time. I knew I would have regretted it if I'd missed this opportunity to see Brooke one last time before she left to spend the summer in California with her parents._

_I'd put her bags in the cab before I walked up to the porch. I'd approached the door slowly, and as I did, I'd heard Brooke's voice inside. When I'd peeked inside, I'd seen that she had been seated on the bed, waiting._

"_Well, I'll see you Brooke," she'd spoken to no one. "Have a nice summer. Oh, thanks everybody!"_

_Her tone made her disappointment evident. No one else had come to see her off. But I had._

_I stepped inside, smiling a little._

"_Talking to yourself?"_

_Brooke had heard me, and turned to see me standing in the doorway._

"_What," she responded. "Is your summer job driving a cab?"_

_Leave it to Brooke to throw sarcasm in even when she was feeling so sad about having to leave. I'd known that was how she was feeling. _

_As I'd closed the door, I'd said, "I put your stuff in the car."_

_She offered a nod of gratitude. She'd glanced away, and then: "So I guess this is goodbye?"_

_Again, I'd felt her sadness. I'd seen it on her face. She'd been trying to put on a brave face. I'd opened my arms to her, and Brooke had stood up and embraced me with a smile. _

_Suddenly, then I'd realized, Brooke was in my arms. I couldn't believe it. We had finally made it to a point where I could hold her like that again, and she was leaving? Now I was having to say goodbye? How? How could I do that?_

_Brooke pulled away then. She'd smiled, still attempting that brave face. It had been that instant that I'd decided that I couldn't pretend anymore. I couldn't let her go not knowing how I felt. So it had been in that same instant that I'd kissed her._

_I'd been sure that I'd felt her kiss me back. At least she hadn't stopped me from kissing her. We had both pulled away at the same time. After, I'd watched her, my eyes searching her face, waiting for her reaction. Brooke had stared back at me. _

_When Brooke had finally spoke, her voice had been barely above a whisper._

"_Tell me that was a goodbye kiss?"_

_I'd swallowed my nerves and finally said it. I finally spoke the words to her after months of pretending._

"_I want to be with you, Brooke."_

_Brooke stepped back, away from me, seemingly surprised by my words._

"_What?"_

"_I'm sorry. I know we're friends. It's just how I feel."_

"_But what about Peyton's stuff?"_

Oh yeah..._I'd nearly forgotten about that. Brooke must have found the shoebox in the closet. The one in which I'd kept little, meaningless things from my time with Peyton. But the fact that I'd kept anything of Peyton and Lucas must have seemed not-so-meaningless to Brooke. I hadn't meant for Brooke to find that box. But it hadn't mattered then. At that moment, I'd owed her another explanation. I'd owed Brooke the truth. _

"_I keep that stuff as a reminder of how badly I screwed up things..." I'd said. "With you. To remind myself that if I ever get a second chance...I'd never let you go again."_

_My words had only seemed to surprise Brooke even more._

"_I don't know what to say. I, um..."_

_We'd been so close. Brooke had been just about to respond, when the damn taxi outside honked, interrupting. I glanced around quickly, at nothing in particular. It had been an anxious reaction. I was so anxious, desperate to know how she felt._

_Brooke looked back at me and finally responded, but not to tell me her own feelings._

"_I got to go," she'd said instead. She stepped even further away from me. As she'd moved toward the door, I felt myself growing even more anxious._

_I couldn't let her leave yet. I couldn't let her leave for the summer without first knowing how she felt. I at least had to know if there was a chance for us._

"_Brooke!"_

_I turned and called out to her. Brooke stopped at the door and looked back at me. _

"_Do you think you could ever—_

"_-Lucas-"_

_She'd held her hand out, I think to stop me from finishing my sentence._

"_I'm sorry," she said. "But, I...I got to go."_

_I watched as Brooke pulled the door open. She was in tears as she'd whispered "goodbye" before leaving._

_And then she was gone, and I'd had no idea where things stood._

Brooke was gone for the entire summer. After three months apart from her, my feelings still hadn't changed. Yet, I still didn't know how Brooke felt about me. I still didn't know if I would ever stand a chance to be with her again.

Once I had finally decided what I was going to say, I left my car. As I approached the steps to my house, I was suddenly hit with that deja vu feeling, and that last day with Brooke flashed through my head again. I was determined not to let the conversation I was about to have with Brooke end the same way it had then. I was desperate to know how she felt, and today I was finally going to know. I plucked some flowers from the garden next door, thinking it would be a nice gesture for not being there for Brooke at the airport.

The door was open again, adding even more to the deja vu feeling. I stopped in the doorway and watched as she packed some clothes away in her suitcase.

"You talking to me yet?" I finally asked.

Brooke smiled when she looked up at me. A good sign, I thought. Maybe she wasn't upset with me anymore about the whole airport thing.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Good." I stepped inside, and I held up my hand with the small bouquet of flowers. "And I brought you flowers."

"Oh," Brooke took the flowers and smiled. She seemed impressed. "They're very nice. Where did you get them?"

I grinned. "The neighbor's yard."

"Mmm..."

Her smile grew. She seemed amused. _Mission accomplished, _I thought. And another good sign, I hoped.

"Luke, I'm sorry about the airport."

"Oh, it's cool," I said, waving it off as nothing.

"No...I felt stupid for jumping to conclusions, and...maybe a little jealous that you weren't actually there for me."

She grinned at me, and I smiled back. Maybe, I thought, there was still some hope for us. It certainly seemed to be heading in that direction. Brooke did just admit that she had been jealous...

"It's good to see you, Luke."

I stepped closer then, and Brooke hugged me. Was this just a hug between friends, I wondered. Or could it be something more?

"How've you been?" She asked me.

I stepped back a little as I pondered the question. For the third time in less than thirty minutes, that day of Brooke's departure occupied my thoughts, and I decided she and I had better—finally-clear the air and set things straight.

"Look," I started. "I know it wasn't fair how I told you I wanted to be with you when your cab was parked just right outside...I just...saw you slipping away and I guess I panicked."

Brooke pursed her lips and shrugged.

"It's okay. Really, it is. I actually had the whole summer to think about this."

Brooke paused, and I waited anxiously for her next words; to finally hear how she felt.

"I spent a lot of time thinking about what you said, Luke. And I'm sorry too...for leaving without telling you how much I care about you. Because I do, Lucas."

I nodded in response, and Brooke continued.

"But..."

_But..._of course there was a but. I hated when there was a but. That was never a good sign.

"I really love our friendship, Luke. Can't we just keep going as friends? I mean I think that has been working really well for us. It's been really great, better than it was when we were dating. I don't want to risk changing that, messing it up somehow. Do you?"

It was true. Our relationship now was much better than it once had been. And, like Brooke, I did not want to ruin that. Of course I didn't want to lose her friendship. But my heart told me that it wouldn't be a risk. It didn't feel that way to me. I _loved _her. I was in love with her. Brooke was the one for me. And I was certain that there would never be anyone else for me.

But I didn't want to lose Brooke either. And if this, what she was asking of me, for the two of us to continue to be just friends, was what she really wanted, then perhaps I would have to do more to prove to her. Perhaps what Brooke needed was for me to do this for her. And in the meantime, I would have to be patient and do my very best—better than my best—to show her that she and I could be so much more than good friends without her getting hurt again. But for now...we would just have to be friends.

"No," I finally answered. "I don't."

Brooke smiled again. I loved that smiled...that beautiful, crooked smile that lit up her face so perfectly...

"Thanks, Luke," she said. She moved closer to me again, moving in for a hug.

I wrapped my arms around her in response.

"I missed you, Lucas Scott," she said, squeezing my slightly.

I closed my eyes. I sucked in a breath, taking in the sweet scent of her soft, beautiful hair. Brooke didn't notice. I f she did, she didn't indicate as much. This—holding her like I was—was already more painful that I'd expected my "just friends" charade to be.

"I missed you too," I finally breathed.

And then, so quietly that I'm certain Brooke hadn't heard me, I whispered, "Pretty girl."

So much had happened since that day. Several months passed. It had been painful at first, nearly heartbreaking, to go on in my friendship with Brooke pretending like I didn't want more than what she was offering. I had to remind myself often that being friends with Brooke was important. It was what she wanted from me, and it was better than not having Brooke in my life at all. That would have been unbearable.

Time helped me as well. It got easier—somewhat-to put my own feelings on the back burner and just be Brooke's friend, at least when we were together or with our other friends. Often, though, when I'm alone after having spent time with Brooke, I found it difficult to pretend that I hadn't wanted to kiss her sweet lips every time she spoke, or to run my fingers through her long, brown hair. or...well, there were many more thoughts that were difficult for me to suppress when I was alone.

Still, I tried hard to push them away, and I tried—and would continue to try—to be the friend that Brooke needed me to be. Maybe, I thought, that by doing so, Brooke would finally realize how much she really meant to me. And that I was really not going anywhere. Ever.

Of course, having Brooke in my life again, even just as friends, really meant everything to me. I didn't realize that day how much I would need her friendship. She really became my rock. I would not have survived the months that followed if I hadn't had her next to me, if I had selfishly walked away from her request that we remain just friends because I'd selfishly wanted more.

This entire year had been a roller coaster ride. Trying to get closer to Brooke, to become a better friend to her...watching mom and Keith fall in love...then the school shooting...losing Keith...coming clean about my heart condition...losing basketball... It had been a rough year. The worst year of my life. Things were still difficult. It was hard to get out of bed some days following the shooting. Keith's death changed me...I've never experienced loss like that before. And the shooting itself changed everyone. Though the pain is still there, having Brooke around to help me work through it all meant more to me than I could ever thank her for. She really became one of my very closest friends. My best friend, next to Haley.

Life even began to get better, to look up a little. I still missed Keith everyday, but there were things that helped to lessen the pain. The greatest of these, what really helped to restore my faith that the world could be a happy place again, was watching Nathan and Haley find their way back together. It had been a rough year for them too. But now...now they were back. And today they renewed their wedding vows.

The ceremony was amazing. Beautiful. And the reception had been planned so fantastically as well. The guests all seemed to be having a good time. Brooke really did an amazing job in role as Maid of Honor in setting this all up (not that there had ever been any doubt).

I stood at the bar, smiling as I watched Brooke on the stage and listening as she finished her speech. (It was amazing, of course). I had given my speech before Brooke, and now that she was finished, the guests began to move out to the dance floor. One by one, couple by couple.

I surveyed the crowd, searching for Brooke again. Earlier, before the wedding had even began, Brooke had promised me a dance.

_I entered the tent and gasped at the beautiful set up. _

"_Wow..."_

_Brooke had just finished setting up plates at a table as I approached._

"_Everything looks...awesome, Brooke. You did an excellent, job."_

_Brooke smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I know I did. Thanks. And you..."_

_Brooke looked me up and down. She grinned as she placed a hand on her hip._

"_You clean up nicely in that tux, Lucas Scott."_

_I chuckled, flattered. "Well, thanks."_

_Then it was my turn to look Brooke up and down—not that I hadn't done so about ten times already—and offer her a compliment. It made me a little excited...though I couldn't let her know that._

"_You look absolutely stunning."_

_I witnessed her blushed. Then, she smiled and mimicked my words._

"_Well, thanks."_

_I chuckled quietly. And then we were quiet, and I started to sense the moment turning awkward. I quickly changed the subject in response._

"_This is going to be such a great wedding, a great party! Man, I can't wait to dance!"_

_Brooke laughed. _

_And then I asked her. "You'll save me a dance, won't you?"_

_Brooke shrugged. "Sure, why not? Someone has to keep you from making a fool of yourself."_

"_Promise?"_

_Brooke nodded again, still smiling. "Promise."_

A slow song was starting. This would be the dance I would ask Brooke for now. I finally spotted her face in the crowd. She was standing at the opposite end of the dance floor next to Peyton and Jake, who were almost dancing themselves.

I stopped walking a moment to smile at them, admiringly, feeling glad for their happiness. Since he'd moved to Savannah, Georgia, Jake and Peyton have been taking turns for months to see one another. During Peyton's last trip to Savannah, they had gotten engaged. I wondered if maybe Brooke and I would be sharing more than one dance when their wedding came 'round. I hoped we would, anyway.

Brooke turned and saw me as I approached. She offered a smile.

"Hey, Luke. Having fun yet?"

"Almost," I replied. I turned and glanced out at the floor as more couples came out to dance. I smiled and looked back to Brooke.

"So you ready for that dance?"

Her smile faded unexpectedly. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting (or, perhaps wanting?) me to ask her for a slow dance.

"C'mon," I pressed, reaching for her hand. "You promised, remember?"

Brooke glanced down at my hand. I noticed that she swallowed as she did. Was she nervous? She reached slowly and met my hand. Our fingers twined together, and I led her out to the dance floor. We danced slowly, close together.

I was suddenly nervous again. My palms were sweaty, and I thought, maybe, so were hers? And Brooke's heart...it was racing. I could feel it as we danced close together. And I could feel hers, then that must mean Brooke could feel my heart racing at the same time.

The song ended and we stopped moving, but we didn't leave the floor like many of the others who'd been dancing did. Brooke didn't pry herself away from me. And I certainly did not pull away from her. Our hands remained linked together. Our breathing was heavy, despite the fact that we were no longer moving.

_What is going on?_

Our eyes met. I noticed how much closer our faces had gotten. My lips were inches from hers. I wanted so badly to press our lips together, like I had done before she left last summer. I still felt for her like I did a year ago, possibly even greater. But then—to my very great surprise—I was not the one who made the first move this time.

It was Brooke. Brooke kissed me. Very slowly, very gently...she pressed her lips to mine. I kissed her back, and for a moment we were the only two people in the room, completely engaged in this moment, with each other. Then the music changed. I felt Brooke pull away and I opened my eyes. Brooke was staring at me, and she spoke just barely above a whisper.

"One more dance?"

I nodded once in response, still speechless, surprised at her actions. What had just happened between us? What did this mean? Not that I minded the kiss or the dance—it was all I'd been dreaming about for months—but what had happened to her wanting to be just friends? Was this her way of showing me what she really wanted?

We started to dance again. It was to another slow song. As we danced, I listened to the lyrics, and I thought of the irony of the words, the appropriateness of them. This song, to me, felt so befitting to the way I was feeling in this moment: confused...overwhelmed...in love.

_**I got a funny feeling**_

_**The moment that your lips touched mine**_

_**Something shot right through me**_

_**My heart skipped a beat in time**_

_**There's a different feel about you tonight**_

_**It's got me thinkin' lots of crazy things**_

_**I even think I saw a flash of light**_

_**It felt like electricity**_

I felt Brooke lean into me, pressing her head against my chest. I closed my eyes and I took a deep breath in, again taking in that amazing smell of hers again. She was...the sweetest flower.

_**You shouldn't kiss me like this**_

_**unless you mean it like that**_

_**Cause I'll just close my eyes**_

_**And I won't know where I'm at**_

_**We'll get lost on this dance floor**_

_**Spinnin around**_

_**And around **_

_**And around**_

I opened my eyes again. Brooke's head rested on my shoulder while my eyes wandered. I noticed that Peyton and Jake now had the company of Nathan and Haley at the table we were sharing for the evening. None of them were dancing. Instead, they were all watching Brooke and I as we gently spun around the dance floor. The curious looks on their faces told me they were probably wondering the same thing I was still wondering myself. _What the hell was happening between us?_

_**They're all watchin' us now**_

_**They think we're falling in love**_

_**They'd never believe we're just friends**_

I felt myself becoming more nervous by the second, especially now that I was aware of the eyes that were upon us. I needed to know what this all meant. I needed to know what Brooke was thinking. I wanted to know why she'd kissed me, and what the purpose of this second dance was. But I wasn't quite ready for the dance to end just yet either.

_**Everybody swears we make the perfect pair**_

_**But dancing is as far as it goes**_

_**Girl you've never moved me quite**_

_**the way you moved me tonight**_

_**I just wanted you to know**_

_**I just wanted you to know**_

The dance would end soon, I knew. And then I would get my answers. For now, I listened to the chorus once more, the music slower.

_**You shouldn't kiss me like this**_

_**unless you mean it like that**_

_**Cause I'll just close my eyes **_

_**And I won't know where I'm at**_

_**We'll get lost on this dance floor**_

_**Spinning around**_

_**And around**_

_**And around**_

My eyes were closed again as I tried to soak up this moment one last time...just in case it ended here; just in case I never got this opportunity again, though I hoped that wouldn't happen. I prayed that this moment was not just a dance; that this moment meant something more to Brooke as well.

_**They're all watchin' us now**_

_**They think we're falling in love**_

_**They'd never believe we're just friends**_

_**When you kiss me like this**_

_**I think you mean it like that**_

_**If you do, baby, kiss me again.**_

_Please..._ I thought, wishing my greatest wish. I sucked in another breath of her sweet scent.

_**Kiss me again**_

Though I'd know it was coming, been prepared for it by the change in the rhythm of the music, the dance ended sooner than I'd wanted it too. Apparently—or so it seemed to me, anyway—Brooke felt the same. We remained close for a moment, staring at one another silently again. The band returned to the stage. They'd finished their break and were ready to provide some more live music.

I'd glanced up at the band when I'd heard someone speak into the mic. When I looked back, though, Brooke was no longer in front of me. She disappeared so quickly, I hadn't noticed. I glanced around and quickly found her. She was heading for the opening in the tent. She walked right past our friends without saying a word. I followed her. I wasn't about to let her leave without getting some answers.

"Brooke!"

I called out to her, and she actually stopped running away from me. She stopped just outside the tent and turned slowly to face me. There were tears in her eyes. I slowly stepped closer to her.

"Brooke..." I spoke softly, but she interrupted before I could say anything more.

"I'm sorry," she interjected. She spoke softly too.

"Sorry for what?"

"For kissing you."

Brooke shook her head as she finished her thought. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Why not?"

"Because..."

Brooke paused and shook her head again. I could tell this was difficult for her. She seemed to be struggling to get her words out. Her struggle to find her words made her fear apparent to me. She was afraid to say what it was she really wanted to say, what she was feeling.

"Because we're just friends," she finally finished.

I sighed, frustrated. Why couldn't she just say it? Why couldn't she just tell me how she felt, honestly how she felt? I had done it. Why couldn't she?

"Brooke," I spoke again. "Is that what you _really_ want?"

She looked away. She was no longer making eye contact with me like she had been when we were out on the dance floor. In fact, she was trying to avoid having to look at me at all. Another sign that she wasn't being completely honest, I wondered.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

I shook my head in frustration again. Though she was still avoiding looking at me, I could still see her face. I studied her face, her expressions, searching for the truth. It didn't take me long. I knew Brooke, and she couldn't hide her feelings when they were so clearly evident in her face. Not to mention that her actions—avoiding eye contact, trying to run away when the moment got awkward—spoke louder than words.

"You're lying," I finally said.

That seemed to command her attention. Brooke returned her gaze to mine. Though, in her response, she still averted the truth.

"No, I'm not. It's...it's what I want, Lucas. It's what I need. It's what we need. And we already talked about this. It's better that we just be friends."

She looked away again, but my gaze rested on her. I stepped closer and gently touched her shoulders.

"Brooke..."

I cupped her chin in my hands and gently lifted her face, forcing her to look at me. Slowly, I pressed my lips to hers. And despite what she'd said she wanted, Brooke kissed me back. Again. I felt the sparks and the passion. Again.

My hands were still wrapped around her face when we stopped.

"You don't know..."I paused briefly. I shook my head and tried to swallow the lump in my throat that had formed in my nervousness. I tried to find my words this time, desperate to get it right, to explain it, how I felt—how much I loved her—so that she would _finally _get it.

"You don't know what I need, or what I want, Brooke...if you don't know that _you _are both. I love you, Brooke. I told you that before you left for California last summer, and you didn't believe me. Or, you pretended not to. But I need you to really believe me now, Brooke. My feelings haven't changed. If anything, I've fallen even more in love with you. And I need you to believe that. I need you to finally hear what I have been trying to tell you for months, trying to show you."

I let go of her face and reached for her hand. I placed her hand on my chest, and I looked back into her eyes.

"I need you to feel what I feel," I spoke quietly.

Brooke's tears had soaked her cheeks.

"Lucas—

I stopped her before she could protest again.

"Feel this, Brooke. Feel how my heart flutters whenever you are around me. It skips a beat whenever I see you or hear you speak. And when you kissed me in there...I swear it stopped beating for that instant."

I finally pulled her hand from my chest. I kissed her fingers gently before finally surrendering her hand. I let what I said sink in for a minute before I spoke again.

"I told you how I really feel, Brooke. It's your turn now. You are one of my very best friends, so I promise I'm not going anywhere, no matter what your answer is. But I want to know, I deserve to know how you really feel about me. As your friend, I think I deserve at least that much. I think I deserve your honesty. That's all you've ever asked of me, and I've delivered.

"Please...don't be afraid anymore. I will always be your friend, no matter what. But I think you want more than that. And I promise that I can give you more than that. I will give you everything that you deserve and so much more. But you need to tell me first. You need to be honest with me."

I watched as Brooke swallowed and looked away from me again. But I wasn't about to give up yet. Despite my frustration over her lack of honesty to that point, I understood where she was coming from, where her fear came from. I had hurt her before. Badly. I'd broken her heart, and she was afraid to allow herself to trust me with it again. But I hoped that the words I'd spoken to her now, and the friend that I had come to be to her over the past year had done enough to prove to her that I would never be that guy again.

After minutes of silence, I started to fear what might be going through Brooke's head; that she might be, once again, thinking herself out of telling me how she felt. The thought made me feel it was necessary to say more, to counter her potentially negative thoughts.

"Brooke, please don't be afraid."

I swallowed, nervous again.

"Look, we're friends, right? Good friends. Best friends. And friends can tell each other anything. So tell me. Tell me how you feel."

Slowly, Brooke turned around and faced me. Our eyes locked once more.

"Lucas, I feel..."

And again, Brooke glanced away. I watched her sigh heavily. I touched the back of my hand to her wet cheek.

"Just say it, Brooke," I whispered, pleadingly. "Please...just say it."

She looked up again. I tried to read, to understand her expression as she took her own hand and pressed it to my own, still pressed against her cheek.

"I feel like..."

She paused again, but she didn't look away as she'd done before. She took another deep breath in, and she stood up straighter—feeling braver perhaps?

"I feel like I can't do this anymore."

I felt my confidence shatter in that moment. _What? _I felt so defeated. I dropped my hand from her face and backed away.

"Oh..."

I wasn't sure of what else there was to say. Her words, they'd stung. I felt my heart break. Was this what she'd felt when I'd broken her heart?

Brooke spoke again, and I realized that she had more to add. More heartbreak was coming.

"I can't be friends anymore, Lucas."

_Is this payback?_ Was she trying to hurt me intentionally, to break my heart like I had once hurt hers? I watched Brooke curiously—and a little confused. Now she didn't want to be friends? What exactly was she trying to say?

"I can't be friends with you anymore, Lucas..." Brooke stepped toward me and reached for my hands as she finished, "Because I want more."

_Oh! _Suddenly, I was full of joy and hope again. Brooke had finally said the words I'd been waiting over a year to hear. And when she smiled, all my fears were instantly settled.

"I want to be your girlfriend, Lucas Scott. Will you have me?"

All at once, I smiled, laughed, and lifted Brooke off the ground. I twirled her around and around, elicting that amazing Brooke-giggle that I loved so much. When I finally set her back down, I kissed her lips. _Those sweet, perfectly smooth lips...I missed them._

And Brooke kissed me back with more intensity, more passion, more love...than all of the kisses we had ever shared. When we finally pried our lips apart, our faces remained close. I kept one arm wrapped around her waist as my right hand touched her face again.

"I thought you'd never ask, Pretty Girl...I thought you'd never ask."

_**You shouldn't kiss me like this**_

_**unless you mean it like that**_

Our lips met again. And even though Brooke and I kept chuckling, giddy with emotion, I found it difficult to imagine when we would ever stop.

_**When you kiss me like this**_

_**I think you mean it like that**_

_**If you do, baby, kiss me again.**_

_**Kiss me again.**_

_**Song credit: You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like That by Toby Keith**_

_**AN: So what did you think? Please send me a review. It's definitey not my best work, but I wanted to share it anyway. I am hoping that writing this will help me to keep writing. I might look into developing one of the other ideas I had written down, or finishing one of the few stories I started and left unfinished if I can find the inspiration. In the meantime, I look forward to reading some reviews! :)**_


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